St. Joseph's Catholic Church

No state plaque marks this landmark; the two carved tablets inside the entrance are the church's own. The first records Archbishop Alemany's dedication on April 22, 1877, two years to the day after fire destroyed the church before it, and calls the building fourth on the site. The cathedral's own history counts it fifth, since a temporary church stood a few blocks away in between. It was dedicated unfinished: the portico came in 1884 and the dome in 1885. The second tablet marks its 1990 reopening as cathedral of the Diocese of San Jose.

What the plaque says

The Most Rev. Joseph S. Alemany, O.P. First Archbishop of San Francisco dedicated Saint Joseph Church, fourth on this site, on land donated by Antonio Sunol for the first permanent Catholic Parish in California, founded in 1803. Rev. Nicholas Congiato, S.J., Pastor 22 April 1877 The Most Rev. R. Pierre DuMaine First Bishop of San Jose dedicated this Church restored and renovated as the new Cathedral of the Diocese of San Jose. Rev. P. Jeremiah Helfrich, S.J. Rector 4 November 1990

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• United States Post Office — steps away
• Site of World's First Broadcasting Station — steps away
• Site of California's First State Capitol — steps away
• Luis María Peralta Adobe — 0.3 mi